Who's gonna leave us at the World Cup?

This thread if for the cricketers you think should/will/may retire at the 2007 world cup.

There's a lot of greats who are making low scores and who are veterans like Tendulkar and recently, Lara. Then there are vets you wouldn't expect to go much further... despite being in good form like Pollock and Murali. Then there are the guys who planned to retire there but just were never gonna make it like Cairnes and Goughy.

I feel sad because when people say "what era do you wish you saw?" This era is actually up threre. Watching cricket in the late 90s with names like Tendulkar, Lara, Warne, Murali, Waugh, McGrath, Donald, Akram, Ambrose, Walsh, Waqar etc. It was a great era. And even now, I feel privellidged to say I lived in the era of the spin twins - Murali and Warne and even when they're in poor form, Lara and Tendulkar. But when these guys go I'll be moving into a thinner periods. Flintoff might end up a great. Dravid, Kallis and Ponting are all pretty great - although I wont ever rate them as highly as I do Lara and Tendulkar. I just feel we'll be moving on from a great era.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Adam Gilchrist pulls the pin on his whole career (Test and ODI) at the end of the tournament - particularly if Australia win, and we have regained the Ashes. He's always said he wouldn't milk every last drop out his career, and I don't think he enjoys touring anymore. He could be the first voluntary Australian retirement since Tubby Taylor in 1999.

I think the Aussies might get hit quite hard either if they go off their own backs or with the selectors are forced to remove a couple building towards the next World Cup.

Gillchrist, Hayden, Hogg, Kasprowicz, Langer, MacGill, Martyn, McGrath & Warne will all be over 35 by next March and will not last much longer.

I would expect Warne & Langer might call it a day after the Ashes campaign as there isn't really much else for them to achieve after that.

Hogg / Gillchrist (def OD maybe both) will go after the WC

Hayden, MacGill & Martyn will only survive until the selectors want to blood new players as they can't really change the whole team at once so might play on for a series or two - If they are still even in the team by then (martyn mainly) - MacGill will probley hang around for a season or so to make the change over from Warne to whoever takes his place long term is brought through.

Kasprowicz - He will go as he wont even be in the side by then

I'll be surprised if Lara continues after the WC, nice why to go out in your own backyard in front of your home crowd.

I have a sneaky feeling that Warne will be carrying on to 2009 - especially if he's still bowling as well as he has been in recent times.

I feel the same way. In my opinion, the best way for him to leave the game would be at the 2009 Ashes in England. When the occasion calls for it, no crowd is more appreciative and complementary than the England. I see him getting the ovation Bradman got and going out with that response. I have the feeling he'll retire this after one of the Ashes... 2007 or 2009. It would be a testiment to a great legacy if he left in 2009. I remember in 1999 when people were calling him washed-up at the world cup and Warne talked about retirement... who would've thought it might be a decade later and he's getting the most wickets in a calendar year etc.

I hope so. I know for one, I'd rather have the ****test day of my life as a cricket fan, later rather than sooner.

I'm right there with you. There's so much I don't like about Warne. I think he looks silly when he starts sleging people in the press, like recently saying SA's last team was the worst SA team he'd ever seen. I think he's a total goose the way he acts off field. The tactics he plays on the field, like changing fields a lot in the last over, though occasionally funny, are annoying. Yet for all he's got going against him, I can't help but have an absolutely overwhelming respect for him as what he's done for the game. He's made cricket so so much more interesting this last 15 years. And when he's gone there'll be a gaping hole in the game, it wont be as intriguing. Warne's a powerful personallity that you don't see much in cricket - like Botham, Richards and Grace.

Cricinfo says it best in that some may love him, others hate him (I'm a bit of both) but one thing it for certain, we will miss him when he's gone.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Adam Gilchrist pulls the pin on his whole career (Test and ODI) at the end of the tournament - particularly if Australia win, and we have regained the Ashes. He's always said he wouldn't milk every last drop out his career, and I don't think he enjoys touring anymore. He could be the first voluntary Australian retirement since Tubby Taylor in 1999.

yea i feel so too, since he won't have much to play for after then. But didn't he say he would retire after the 2007 WC last year?

looking at Australia assuming that most of the major players go after the World cup this is how the test side may look like:

Hayden/Langer - i expect at least one of them to play close to 40
Jaques
Ponting
Martyn - if he gets his form back he could well & play beyond 35 but it up to the selectors
Hussey
Watson
Haddin - if no keeper steps up in the next year he should be 1st choice until one does
Warne
Lee
Gillespie
Tait